riders_of_coronigfandomcom-20200214-history
Riders
Riders are female humanoids that carry the bloodline of Cojoga's Blessed Few. They are one half of the Rider/Shifter pair and are spread throughout the globe, living in hidden Clans and Colonies. As part of a Rider/Shifter pair, and according to Cojoga's Blessing, a rider must be a woman. However, the term "woman" is used in the context of personal identity, rather than physical. A rider can be born as a woman and identify as a woman, but the Blessing does not just extend to cisgendered women. For example, Master General Hjorta Haddingdottir of the United Celtic Clan of Coronig was born as Hjonte Haddingsson, not coming out as transgender until the age of 25. After coming out and transitioning, she bonded with her first shifter, Canden MacGlouchchester. Together, they were a bonded Rider/Shifter pair. Physiology Riders are not human, but humanoid Unnaturals. They are a diverse race, ranging from all different ethnicities that mirror humans. They are often indistinguishable from humans (or "Standings") in a crowd, however they are physically build differently. Riders have what seems like endless energy and stamina due to their faster heartbeat. A normal human's heartbeat is around 60bpm to 100bpm, while a rider's is around 100bpm to 160bpm. They have larger lungs that allow them to breathe at extremely high altitudes and a different inner ear structure, allowing them to be less affected by the sharp turns and dives their shifter takes. They have a naturally fluid body temperature; rising well above 110 F to dropping below 70 F according to what the temperature is around them. Their bones are significantly more dense than humans, and they are significantly more muscular, allowing them to run faster and hit harder. They are also able to heal faster, however this ability has proven less and less usefull since the implimentation of War Doctors. Since riders have a faster heartbeat, greater stamina and naturally expidited healing, they have a very large appitite. When a rider is not training or fighting, they are most likely eating due to thier insanely high metabolism. While some cultures forbid the consumption of meat, or due to personal preference, most riders default to meat-heavy diets. Riders have the ability to live longer than humans. Their average lifespan (not taking into account war casualties) is around 110 years old. Riders stay physically fit and spry much longer than humans: a 55 year old human is equivalent to a 79 year old rider. While they physically take longer to age, they tend to turn gray at an earlier age. A rider can expect to start seeing gray hairs around the age of 25. Despite the many advantages, riders are at greater risk for heart attacks, due to both the constant stress they are under and their naturally fast heartbeat. Riders are one of seven Unnatural species that are sexually compatible with humans, however their DNA is not dominant, but resessive, meaning that cross-breeding with a human will most likely result in a human child. However, when breeding with another Unnatural, they have dominant genes. Due to their DNA compatibility issues, a hybrid-rider is physically impossible, however a rider can be born from a rider/Unnatural pair. Bond A rider has the ability to bond with her shifter once she hits puberty, however the most common age to form a bond is from the ages of 16 to 22. When she bonds with her shifter, she is sent for training, which can vary from Clan to Clan. If the bond survives training, then it can begin to develop over time. While a rider has the physical form of a human, the Blessing gave them the power of a dragon. If a bond is strong enough between her and her shifter, she is able to not only have the strength of him, but the voice and breath as well. While this is a very difficult point to reach, a rider is easily able to take down a shifter if trained correctly. How to Kill a Rider A rider is hard to kill, and a trained rider is extremely hard to kill. While with their shifter and properly protected, it can take hundereds to take down a single pair. However, being seperated from their shifter makes them more vunerable, both physically and mentally. Most Dire go for the neck, stomach, or any place which has a main artery. Riders, due to their higher heartbeat, can bleed out very quickly if cut deep enough. However, retraining them or pinning them down is necessary; when losing a lot of blood, riders can go into a blind rage as a last-ditch survival instinct. When in the air, the easiest way to kill a rider is to knock her off her shifter. As every trainee is told: "Heights are a rider's greatest enemy". While a rider has the power of a dragon, they don't have the wings of one.